Process of manufacturing pneumatic tires.



No. s4|,s37. Patented Jan. I6, 1900.

F. A. sEnBEnLlNa.

PROCESS 0F MANUFACTURING'PNEUMATIC TIRES.

(Application led May 15, 1899.) f (No Mmm.) 4 sneets-sheet Tm.; Noam:News co. PHnToMTHo., v/Asnmson. u s

No. 64I,337. Patent'ed Ian. I6,.I900. F. A. SEIBEBLING.

PBUCESS 0F MANUFACTURING PNEUMATIC TIRES.

(Application Bled May 15, 1893.) (No mod el.) 4 sheefs-shaet 2.

INN.

ILIIL No.A 641,337.

(Application led May 15, 1899.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

for:

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No. 64I,337. 'Patented l1an. I6, |900.

' F. A. SEIBERLING.

PROCESS 0F MANUFACTURING PNEUMATIG TIRES.

` (Application led May 15, 1899.)

(No Mudel.) 4 Sheets-Sham` 4,

UNITED STATES- PATENT EEIOE.

FRANK A. SEIBEELING, OEAKEON, OHIO.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING PNEuMATlC TlREsi.'

SPECIFICATION forming par'. of Letters Patent No. 641,337, iatd Januaryi6, i905.

Application filed May l5, 1899.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. SEIBEELING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes ofManufacturing Pneumatic Tires, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has relation to improvements in processes forthemanufacture of pneumatic tires for bicycles and other vehicles.

The object of this invention is to rapidly conduct the operation ofmaking such tires from the various materials from which they areconstructed, which tires shall have an inner tube of rubber, a bodycomposed of woven fabric saturated with rubber, and an outer covering ofrubber, and when desired a strip of rubber on the outer periphery toreinforce the tread portion, the whole vulcanized.

In carrying out this process certain mechanism is employed to facilitatethe various steps of the process,which mechanism is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the stock-table brokenin the center to reduce its length in the view and showing thestock-rolls Fig. 2, a plan of the same similarly broken; Fig. 3, a planof the assembling-table, also broken; Fig. 4, aside elevation of thesame; Fig. 5, a side elevation ofa part of the conveyor to pass theboards bearing the assembled strips to the rolling device and to returnthe empty boards; Fig. 6, the remaining portion of said conveyer; Fig.7, a plan of the conveyor with a part in the center broken away toreduce its length; Fig. 8, a section of the same at the break in Fig. 7looking to the left; Fig. 9, a plan of the tirerolling device, and Fig.10 a side elevation of the same.

The mode of practicing this invention is as follows: The fabric,saturated with rubber, of which the mainbod y of the tireis constructed,is previously cut into convenient strips 1 to form the tires and placedin books 2, having cloth leaves, and as needed a single book is broughtand laid on the upper shelf 3, supported above the assembling-table 4.The assembling-table may have this book-support Serial No. 716.900. (Nomodel.)

in the center, as shown,`so that two pers'oii's may work to assemble theparts on opposite sides, or it may be adapted for a single Work-k man.

The rubber strips 5 for forming the outer cover for the tire and thenarrower ones 6 to reinforce the tread portion of the tire are run sideby side from the calender-rolls on long strips of cloth, which are woundinto the rolls 7 on a roller 8, having end journals 9. These rolls aresuccessively brought as needed and mounted in bearings 10 of thestock-table 11, which for convenience is located'at one end of andadjacent to the assembling-table.

To hold the assembled parts, light boards 12, having one raised odge,are used, and in forming the tire a strip 1 of the rubber-saturatedfabric is taken by the attendant workman from the book 2 and laid on oneof these boards and by means of a pattern cut to the exact sizerequired. The strip of cloth of the roll 7 is then unwound sufciently toexpose enough of the wide and narrow strips 5 and 6 for tires andsuitable lengthscut off for that purpose. In repeating this operationthe cloth of the roll 7 is carried over the edge of the table 11 andrewound on an under roll 55 of the table. One of the wider strips ofrubber 5 is then laid on the board and one edge lapped on the edge ofthe body-strip 1 to form the ou ter cover of the tire, the two adheringfrom the cohesive nature of the rubber. and lapped on the edge of thestrip 5 is one of the narrower strips 6 to form the reinforcing-layer Onthe tire-tread, the two similarly adhering. The board 12, with the partsthus assembled, is then placed On the left-hand lower portionof theconveyer to be carried to the rolling device. This conveyor consists ofa supporting-frame 13, in the opposite ends of which are journaledshafts 14, l5, 16, and 17, which bear at their ends pairs ofsprocketwheels 18,' 19, 20, and 21, and on these wheels run two endlesssprocket-chains 22 23, each provided at intervals with upwardly anddownwardly projecting fingers 24, severally inclined in the direction ofthe motion of the chains. These chains are driven simultaneously in thesame direction by two sprocketwheels 25 on the ends of the shaft 26,journaled in any convenient part of the apparatus; but as the locationonly is deemed nec- Beside f IOO essary to be shown the bearings of`this and the next shaft are not shown. These wheels 25 engage thesprocket-chains 22 23 between the upper and lower sprocket-wheels 2O 2l.The shaft 26 bears at its center a wheel 27, driven by a chain 28 from alike wheel on a counter-shaft 29, supported in bearings 30. On the shaft29 is a loose pulley 31, provided with one member 32 of a pan-clu tch,arranged to be engaged by a tight member 33, arranged to be moved by alever 34. The lever 34 is connected by a. short bar 35 with one arm of abell-crank 3G, the opposite arm being connected by a bar 37 with one armof a lever 38, pivoted in a support from guide-rails 39 in the lowerpart of the frame, and with its upperv arm projecting above saidguide-railsfor a purpose to be stated.

In the right half of the conveyer-f rame the lower part of the chains 2223 are conducted below the guide-rails 39 by means of wheels 60, 6l, and62.

The assembling-boards l2 as rapidly as the parts of the tire are placedthereon, as hereinafter explained, are placed in the lower part of theconveyer near the left end in position to be engaged by the fingers 24,the assembling-table being for this purpose placed in that location.They are pushed along the guide-rails 39 by the operation of the chainsand fingers until they reach the rolling-table, hereinafter explained,whence they are successively taken by the operative at that table. Iffor any reason they arrive too fast for that operative and accumulate onthe guide-rails, they encounter the upper end of the lever 38 and throwthe clutch mechanism in the shaft 29 out of contact, thus arresting themovement and to that extent making this part automatic.

The rolling-table consists ofa substantial table 40, supporting ahousing 4l, at each end of which are located two parallel rolls 42 and43, bearing end pinions that mesh in a gear 44, driven from anyconvenient source of power by means of a clutch 45, operated by a lever4G. These gears are removed at the left of Fig. 9 to show the housing atthe points, which, it will be noticed, is hollowed between the journalsat the top and for a purpose to be stated. Immediately opposite each setof rolls is located a shelf 47 to receive the board l2.- At the topcenter of the housing are j ournaled parallel independent shafts 48,

each having a lever 49 by which it may be rocked. On the ends of theseshafts are fixed crank-arms 50, their ends being pivotally connectedwith similar crank-arms 5], in which are journaled shafts 52, bearing aroller 53. To operate this part of the process, a mandrel 54, on whichthe tire is to be built up and having the inner tube already placedthereon, is laid with its ends in the hollow portion of the housingbetween the rolls 42 and 43. A

board l2, with the parts assembled thereon, is then placed on one of theshelves and the edge strip 6 directly inside of the tread and the widestrip 5 covering the tube. The mandrel, with the complete tire, is thenremoved, the boss for the air-valve placed ,the tire removed, its endsjoined in the usual manner, and the whole vulcanized. After theassembled parts havebeen rolled into a tube, as hereinbefore described,the board is placed on the upper chains of the conveyer to be carriedback to the assembling-table. To arrest these boards,

there is provided opposite the assemblingtable, or each table, if anumber are used, on the conveyer a rocking platform 56, locatedhorizontally above the conveyer, supported by arms 57, pivoted to theframe of the conveyer. When the operator at the assemblingtable needs aboard, this platform is rocked down, so that the board will ride up onit.

In some tires the reinforcing-strip 6 is not used, and hence in suchcases the foregoing process will be modified to the extent of omittingthat part.

I claim as my inventionj l. That improvement in the art of making tubesfor pneumatic tires which consists in forming a blank for the body ofrubber-saturated fabric; placing at determined locations thereon stripsof rubber to form a reinforcing portion and a cover, and rolling thesame under external pressure upon an inner tube, substantially asdescribed.

2. That improvement in the art of making tubes for pneumatic tires whichconsists in forming a blank for the body of rubber-saturated fabric;placing at determined places thereon strips of rubber to form areinforcing portion and a cover, and rolling the same under pressurefrom three directions upon an inner tube, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. That improvement in the art of making tubes for pneumatic tires whichconsists in forming a blank for the body of rubber-saturated fabric,placing adjacent thereto and with its edge lapped thereon, a strip ofrubber to form a cover and rolling the same under pressuresimultaneously from different radial directions upon an inner tube,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I hereunto set my hand.

FRANK A. SEIBERLING.

In presence of C. P. HUMPHREY, C. E. HUMPHREY.

IOO

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